WALL AND PIECE BY BANKSY
Published by Century
Reviewed by Cardinal Cox

Wall And Piece available at Amazon.co.uk

Write Dope on Pnuk part 5 

Graffiti again became a subversive artform as one of the four ingredients of Hip-Hop culture. (The others being the DJ - scratching/sampling/remixing - , M.C. - the rapper whose ancestor is the toaster - and the Breakdancer) In skilled hands the tag alone is a beautiful thing that combines artistry with athletic prowess. Of course, there are always idiots who have to scrawl some abusive, ill-spelt obscenity. Monkeys throw shit to mark territory.

Banksy uses stencils to convey cries of disgust at the modern society. From the relatively simple monotones - black on a wall, a silhouette and a phrase - to those with three or four colours, these are the same techniques we'd all have learnt in printmaking classes if only we'd paid more attention.

There is a strong political message in the agit-prop/situationist stance. Not just the slogans or the images, here the medium can most assuredly be the message, as the works on Israel's wall prove. The section on his doctored pictures that he has snuck into art galleries reminds that he does have a genuine talent.

So, stick newsprint to a flattened cardboard box and work out what you can cut out without it falling apart.

© All work copyright of Cardinal Cox.